Hell Hounds
by Demonatron
Summary: When Barricade fails to take out the autobot protecting the human boy, Starscream calls in the legendary Cerberus, a beast of a predacon known for his malicious black spark. But Cerberus spares no one. When the Hound hunts, no bot is safe.
1. Prologue

"_Cerberus_."

The big predacon stilled, one clawed hand lifted in the air still. A low rumble reverberated through his thick chest, skeletal-like plates of armor raising and falling like the mechanical beast was breathing. One triangular ear turned towards the hulking frame of Blackout as the mech transformed in the air and dropped to the earth.

A low growl left his throat, but he didn't turn to face the decepticon, even when he stepped towards him with, "You will answer me, _beast_."

"A beast answers to no one," Cerberus answered, voice low and dangerous, "you risk your life by coming here."

Blackout snorted, "My aft. You forget who you speak to, Cerberus."

"No." Cerberus turned slowly, pouring lethal grace into every movement. He trained large, piercing blood-red optics on the mech. His voice dropped to a near-whisper, "_You _forget who you speak to."

Blackout hesitated, gaze focusing on his. Cerberus held still, like a stone statue, watching as the mech's resolve nearly crumbled into nothing. Blackout took a step back without seeming to realize it, snarling, "Megatron should have crushed you when he had the chance!"

"Many would say the same."

"Starscream demands your presence."

Cerberus narrowed his optics, allowing his thick black claws to sink into the soft soil, "Starscream is not my master."

"In Megatron's absence he _is _leader, you are to obey him like the rest of us," Blackout pushed them back on topic, "Barricade has failed. The autobot scout has found the fleshling with the coordinates."

"And so he sent for me."

"You..._specialize _in this kind of thing. Starscream is sick of taking chances, he wants that useless autobot offline."

"Starscream wouldn't ask for my assistance if he wasn't desperate," Cerberus mused, "Barricade must have really made a fool of himself."

"The autobot tore him apart."

Cerberus tilted his head slightly, just enough so that the moonlight cast menacing highlights on his massive gray fangs. Blackout noticed and took another step back. The energon from Cerberus' last kill still stained his dentals, glowing very faintly. Cerberus moved towards him again, lowering his body into a low-slung crouch. Blackout went rigid, broadening his stance and hand raised to take hold of his propeller blades. He squinted his optics down at him.

Cerberus walked slow circles around the larger mech, "Do you realize how long it's been since I last fed?"

Blackout turned, keeping his front towards the wolf-like predacon the entire time he circled. Cerberus' optics stayed focused on him, calm and steady, "I can hear the energon pumping through your spark..."

He paused long enough to grin maliciously, "It's been too long since I enjoyed a full meal...us predacons need to eat _something_..."

"Twisted slagging..." Blackout hissed, drawing his main weapon and sliding back a step.

Cerberus chuckled darkly, abruptly lunging forward. He dove under Blackout's blades and hurled his entire body into the mech's chest. His claws locked down around his armor, anchoring him to the mech. Blackout flailed his arms like a moron as he fell flat on his aft. Cerberus lifted a paw and sliced deep into the mech's chest, severing wiring crucial for transmitting battle routines to his limbs, leaving Blackout helpless.

Fear flashed through the larger decepticon's optics, sending a cold thrill through Cerberus' spark. The mechanical wolf leaned forward, bared serrated dentals inches away from the mech's face. Cerberus raised his claws, dripping with Blackout's energon. He said softly, "You should show some respect in the presence of a predacon, Blackout. Contrary to what you common foot soldiers believe, we are not all...'_pets_'."

He let his claws sink deep into the wound before stepping off of his massive form. He turned his back to Blackout. He knew the mech didn't have the spark to attack him, as very few did. And just as he expected, the mech hauled himself up, moved back, and put away his weapons. Blackout asked, "And what do I tell Starscream?"

Cerberus turned his big red optics to the city far below, lights blinking in the distance like colored stars in a dark sky. In his processor, he sifted through the conversation. It had been years since he had last hunted, years since any mech, Megatron included, had sought him out specifically and assigned him such a task. His spark raged at the thought, burning for an excuse to rip through alloys and shed energon like a heavy rain.

He said, "Tell Starscream that the hunt has begun."

Without another word, the larger of the two shifted forms in a rush and took to the air, flying as fast as he could to get as far away from Cerberus as possible. The predacon remained where he stood, content with quietly planning in his processor and watching the lights of the city blink on and off below. He spent hours standing like that, allowing himself the pleasure of bathing in the cool moonlight.

"Yes," He told himself, "let the hunt begin."

* * *

><p><strong>New project. <strong>

**It's harder to write The Storyteller for some reason, so I think I'm going to take a break and write this little story. It shouldn't be as long as the others, at least I hope not...Just FYI, this one has absolutely no ties to my Guradian series, so it's all new OC's. **

**If you didn't catch it, Blackout is talking about Bumblebee protecting Sam from Barricade over the 'coordinates', meaning this story takes place in the first movie. **

**Also, in case I forgot to mention, Cerberus is a wolf-based Predacon. **

**Cerberus and the story belongs to me. Transformers does not.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_"Bumblebee."_

The young autobot scout jolted to awareness, parked outside the human boy's housing unit. His hidden blue optics blinked online, automatically turning to the structure to look for any activity inside. He almost panicked when he couldn't sense the boy with the coordinates inside. Then he remembered that he had went with his mech creator to go refuel somewhere.

He settled again and sent a round of static across the com link so Optimus knew he had his attention.

_"We have detected new energon signatures on earth. The decepticons are gathering their forces. We can not allow the glasses to fall into decepticon hands."_

_New signatures, new decepticons. _Bumblebee sent more static before putting it in reverse and rolling, as quietly as he could, out of the driveway. He needed to find Sam.

_"Be careful, mech," _Optimus continued, _"We'll be there soon."_

* * *

><p>"Dad-<em>really, <em>dad?"

"Yes, _really_! What do you think this is?"

"When I said I wanted a burger, I meant that I wanted a _burger_. Not this tiny little excuse for a burger."

"I got news for you kid, everythings got a price on it."

Sam put down his value menu chicken sandwich and raised a brow at his dad, "When did we start talking about prices? Dad, you've been paying for my food my entire life-"

"Exactly. It's time for you to pay for your own food. You got you a car, now it's time to take the next step and get a job."

"What!"

"By the way, rent is a hundred a month, and that doesn't include utilities."

"Oh, okay. You wanna know what this is?"

"Yeah, it's called being responsible."

Sam picked up the sandwich again and shook it at his father, "This is child labor, okay? Say it with me, _child labor._"

"Yeah, yeah..." His dad paused to scan his eyes across the parking lot outside, pausing when his gaze fell on a familiar piece of crap yellow Camaro parked oh so innocently across the street. He raised a finger to point when something tugged on his pants.

Both Witwickys looked down curiously, blinking when they settled on the skinny little girl standing there.

Her skin was dirty, like she hadn't had a bath in days, and her knotted hair had been finger-combed back into a tiny pony tail. She had a sweet round face, with a little nose and a pair of big, wide, innocent baby blue eyes. On her feet was some muddy yellow rain boots. A pair of shorts and a pink tank top completed her outfit. Her hands were folded behind her back, and she stood staring at them like she expected something.

"Hey there, kiddo," Sam started with a smile.

Her eyes flashed towards their meal before focusing on Sam's face. Then, in a rather serious tone, she cleared her throat.

"What? You fishing for a free-" Sam stopped when Ron took his little box of french fries and held them out to the little girl.

The little girl's eyes lit up like blue stars and she hurriedly grabbed the fries. Ron asked, "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Boots!" The child exclaimed happily, "thank you old man and young man!"

Before they could get another word in, the little girl turned and ran off, hugging her prize close to her chest like it was the most precious thing in the world. Her boots thudded on the tile as she went, right past the counter and out the door.

"I wonder who she was..." Sam wondered out loud, "she looked like she was...homeless."

Ron pushed a hand through what was left of his hair, "What is this world coming to..."

* * *

><p>"Jazz!" Boots called as she burst through the doors of the burger joint, "Jazz-eyyy! Where are you, girlie?"<p>

The little seven year old paused long enough to scan the parking lot. She grinned real wide when a thin tan arm waved her over from behind the dumpster. Boots tapped the toes of her shoes on the concrete before running across the parking lot, making a beeline for the dumpster. She swung around on one foot and dropped down to a crouch in front of her best friend.

Jasmine was sixteen and the prettiest person Boots had ever seen, with her vivid aqua eyes and perfect tanned skin and long, _long _black hair. Jasmine was an orphan, just like Boots, and had been the closest thing to a mom or sister she had ever had.

Jasmine gave a little smile, "Hey, girlie! Did you score?"

"I sure did!" Boots lifted her new french fries grinned again, "I got a whole pack of 'em this time!"

"That's my girl," Jasmine praised softly, "you're getting better every time."

"Awesome sauce," Boots cheered. She picked a small handful of french fries out then offered the rest to Jasmine, who only took one or two. She asked, "Can we go to the lake tomorrow? Please?"

"Sure can."

The little girl pumped her fist in the air, "Yesssss!"

* * *

><p><strong>...I tried to write a decent conversation between Sam and Ron, considering what kind of personalities those two have. <strong>

**We'll be seeing Cerberus in the next chapter. **

**Boots, Jasmine, Cerberus, and the story all belongs to me. Transformers does not.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_I smell you, Scout._

Cerberus walked with long, slow strides towards the city. He saw no point in wasting precious energy by rushing to the autobot. Rather he would take his time and stalk his prey, wait for the perfect moment to attack. Cerberus did not _run _after his targets, he did not _rush _or _hurry. _He was a true predator, the kind that no creature could truly escape from. He was the kind of predator that never tired and never lost the trail.

The autobot's scent was on the wind, very faint but just strong enough for him to track. He wasn't equipped with energon sensors like most bots _because _he could smell his prey, even from across the country. Aside his twin brother, no bot bested Cerberus in tracking. And it was something _everyone _knew, including Megatron. It was why the mech had spared his life when he was a much younger, almost innocent bot, before he became the monster so many feared.

Cerberus kept his nose turned into the wind, all the different smells sifting through his olfactory senses. Automatically, he picked out the metallic, sickening smell of the autobot. His lip plates curled back over massive, serrated dentals. His tanks, running on empty, burned inside of him. As awful as the scout smelled, Cerberus couldn't help but crave the fresh energon coursing through him.

He hadn't been lying when he hinted to Blackout that he was a starving predacon.

Cerberus came to a stop at the top of a steep incline, tilting his red optics down. The scent was much stronger now, so thick and fresh it filled his senses. But there was also something else...

_Humans._

Cerberus crept down silently, each step carefully placed to keep from making so much as a sound. His optics cast a hell-fire red glow on the earth, the only light on the night of a new moon. His ears flicked, turning to catch soft, tiny breaths. Life fluid pumping. Tiny little organic sparks beating. The whisper of subtle movements. Drawn to the sound of blood coursing through veins because they sounded the same as energon pumping through lines, Cerberus, still in tune to the autobot's trail, turned his gaze else where.

There was two of them. Females.

One was much smaller than the other, curled up in a ball with ridiculously loud yellow coverings on her feet that were splattered with mud and leaves. She was tiny and skinny, moreso than what he'd expect a creature her size to be.

The other seemed older, taller, but almost just as thin. Although her thin was the kind of thin that was made from hard, lean muscles. She had her body wrapped around the smaller human protectively. She was dark-skinned, and seemed to be wearing worse coverings than the other one.

Cerberus stopped a short distance away, optics narrowing as he focused solely on them. Briefly, he entertained the idea of eating them. He'd never tasted organic flesh. Their bones would shatter wonderfully between his teeth with hardly any pressure, he imagined. It would only take one snip, compared to the crushing force he'd have to put into breaking through the armor of his usual prey.

He took the first step off the incline and onto flat earth, shifting closer. The land here was much harder, solid like rock. And it cracked beneath his claws, spider-webbing out towards the humans. Concrete, he realize. It was concrete. He shifted his core of balance to take most of the weight off his front legs before taking another cautious step. He was much closer now. He bared his teeth and cracked his jaws open to scoop them up...

The smallest of the organics tensed and onlined. She opened wide organic optics and stared right at him, right _through _him.

Cerberus found himself staring back, suddenly frozen in place. The child seemed frozen, too, still curled up with her arms wrapped around her tiny body. Her optics were so wide they were almost perfectly round, and they were blue.

So very, very, soft and blue.

His face plates relaxed, his powerful jaws closed. Every ounce of murderous intent swept out of him in one wave. It was as if he had no more control over his own body. All he could do was stand there, and match her stare.

Slowly, she lifted a hand, and waved at him, "Hi."

His processor rushed, pulling ancient, painful memories that he he had buried long ago and shoving them to the front of his processor. He had seen this optics before, the same softness, the same innocence, the same shade of blue. Many years ago, in another life...he had seen them.

The human sparkling blinked owlishly at him, whispering, "Are you an angel?"

"Boots," The larger human mumbled tiredly, "Boots, who are you..."

The sudden interruption snapped Cerberus back to reality. His expression shifted, different plates lifting into place as he peeled back his lips and showed his teeth in a rumbling snarl that had sent many mechs running.

The child tilted her head almost curiously, showing no fear, while her companion went rigid and shot up into a sitting position, wide auqa optics scanning briefly before falling upon him. He could hear her heart nearly skip before beginning to hammer in her tiny, fragile chest. She screamed when she saw the red light of his optics gleaming along his teeth. She gathered the child up in her arms and scrambled to her feet, crying, "Don't look, Boots!"

But the tiny sparkling was still fixed on him.

Cerberus slung his body low in a predatory crouch, giving a low hiss as he leaped clear over the humans and disappeared into the darkness, once again fixing his attention on his autobot target.

* * *

><p>"There's a party at the lake tomorrow," Sam said, leaning down inside his 'new' car and fiddling with the radio controls for a moment when a random round of static interrupted one of his favorite songs. He frowned when it wouldn't straighten out, and switched his cell to the other ear, "Miles, are you coming or not?"<p>

_"I don't have a car man," _Miles answered, _"How am I supposed to get there if I don't have any wheels?"_

"Dude, did you not hear a _thing _I just said?" Sam gave up on the radio with a little huff and turned back to scrubbing at some stubborn spots on the dash, "I got a car, man. I can get us there and back."

_"Without breaking down?"_

"Hey, show the car some respect, okay?"

_"It's a beater, dude. There's not much left to respect."_

"You know what? When you get your first car, then you can make fun of me, okay? Until then, respect the Camaro. It's a classic."

He squinted, switching ears again, and carefully brushed his thumb over the little red face in the center of the steering wheel, wondering for perhaps the hundredth time just _what _it meant. He'd considered gangs, clubs, everything he could think of. But nothing seemed to fit.

_"I'll go."_

"Awesome. You won't regret it, trust me."

They said their good byes before hanging up. Sam turned back to the radio, "I love this car but the radio just...sucks."

The music abruptly cut off, like he'd somehow offended it. Sam blinked, then started pressing buttons again. He took the key out of the ignition, restarted it, and tested the knobs and buttons again. Nothing. He leaned back with a defeated sigh and pressed his hands to his face, "Geez.."

He yelped when the seat abruptly dropped back until he was laying flat on his back, and the radio started on full volume with the same song he'd been listening to before it went all wonky on him. His hands flew up and slapped down over his ears. He cracked an eye open and glared at the dash, "You think that's real funny, don't you?"

The song finished and the radio went through some more static before turning back off with a click. Sam flailed around like a fish for a moment before finding the latch that raised the seat. He pushed a hand through his hair and took the keys out of the ignition.

He stepped out, shut the door and headed towards the house, not seeing the way how the camaro inched forward on it's own.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee was grinning in his spark as he watched the human enter his housing unit.<p>

In all honesty, the scout had been unsure about his mission. He was the youngest in their group, with the least experience. Yet, Optimus and the others sent _him_ down to protect the boy with the key to their future. He had been nervous at first, not knowing what to expect from the human. But he'd decided that he liked Sam, and he almost felt like they were already good friends.

The fresh memory of scaring the spark out of the human vanished when his energon sensors pinged, picking up decepticon activity. His frame tensed and he went on full alert, running deep scans that spread throughout the entire neighborhood, searching...

He didn't have to look far.

The decepticon was almost out in the open, like he _wanted _to be found. Bumblebee couldn't see the mech, but he could tell that, whoever he was, he was big. He was also stationary, waiting in darkness just out of sight somewhere nearby, watching, studying...planning.

Bumblebee considered driving around the block to draw him out. Then he remembered that the decepticons were after _Sam_, not him. He needed to stay and protect the boy at all costs.

So, instead, he allowed his defense routines to kick on and kept his senses wide open, keeping close tabs on the decepticon and running his energon signature through in an attempt to identify who it was, but none of the mechs he'd battled fit the signature. This one was completely new, a mech he'd never seen before.

...A mech that was slowly stepping out of the tall trees on the tall hill overlooking the housing units on the other side of the street.

Bumblebee focused on him immediately, catching the sharp red high lights on the bot's armor that just barely separated his form from the black sky and trees behind him. Thick legs, armor-shredding claws...a plated tail that was stiffly raised behind him...

_Predacon._

Bumblebee's spark tightened when his hidden gaze slid up the impressive scars on the mech's chest, over the spiked plates cover his throat, the needle-sharp points of fang-like dentals peeking out from beneath relaxed lip plates. Then the scout met the decepticon's optics.

Red, like almost all decepticons, but large. Large, intelligent, cruel...and piercing. The predacon was staring at _him, _easily pinpointing his location despite his disguise and attempts to cover his energon signature. Bumblebee stared into the perdacon's unnaturally large optics. An indescribable chill filled the scout, spreading like bad energon through his entire body and nearly freezing him in place. It was like staring into the optics of Unicron himself, stealing away all hope.

_It can't be._

But what mech could sneak in, undetected, until he was right on top of him? Bumblebee was just a scout, yes, but he was rarely taken off guard. He hadn't picked up a signature until...

The predacon grinned. A slow, malicious motion as he lifted every lip plate to show every lethal serrated dental, still coated with the energon of past kills.

_But he...there's no way it could be him...Why would he be here?_

The predacon took another step forward, every movement slow and packed with lethal grace.

_Primus..._Bumblebee requested a com link to Optimus, hoping in his spark that he and the other autobots were actually in orbit or even landing right this minute. If this mech was truly who he thought he was.

The predacon turned to the right, red optics finally leaving him to focus on the trees as he retreated back into them. Bumblebee froze again, rigid, when he caught the beast's profile.

_"Bumblebee?" _Optimus responded, _"What is it, mech?"_

Bumblebee automatically replied, stopping halfway through his explanation when he realized he was only sending static over. He cursed in his processor, briefly turning his attention back to the trees in time to see the last plates of the predacon's tail vanish.

Bumblebee focused, struggling with the words at first, but after minutes of him spitting out nonsense in his attempts and Optimus' ever patient waiting, he managed, _"N-ne-eeed Ba-a-ack up-p."_

Now the Prime sounded concerned, _"What's happened?"_

_"Ce-c-c-cer-" _Bumblebee vented sharply, frustrated at his own injuries, _"Pred...pred-da...predac-c-con Cer-bur...Cer-ber..."_

_"Cerberus," _His superior finished, tone suddenly grave. Bumblebee sent some grateful static to him.

_"Are you sure, Bumblebee?"_

Instead up trying to make his shattered vocal processor work, he sent the older his memory of the brief meeting. A few more minutes passed. Bumblebee ran another scan, searching for the predacon's energon signature, only to find nothing. He rocked back and forth on his wheels, trying again.

_"I had thought Maximals had defeated him and his twin on Cybertron," _Optimus responded finally, _"It seems I was wrong...Starscream must be desperate to have called Cerberus in of all mechs. We are almost in Earth's orbit, Bumblebee. Do what you must to keep the boy safe until we arrive."_

The was _not _what Bumblebee wanted to hear. If they were just about to cross into earth's orbit now, it'd be at least another earth day or two before they'd land. If Cerberus had picked him or Sam as his next target, which there was no doubt in his processor that he had, then they didn't have that kind of time. Horror stories he'd heard throughout his life as a soldier was cycling through his processor, each one containing Cerberus, who was the kind of predacon that liked to _eat_ his kills.

_Primus._

_"Great strength comes from within," _Optimus abruptly said, like he could sense the storm of doubt and fear inside his spark, _"you are much more stronger than you allow yourself to believe."_

_I don't feel 'much more stronger', _Bumblebee thought, but he sent more static through before the link was cut.

Bumblebee didn't recharge at all that night.

* * *

><p><strong>Story feels like it's moving fast.<strong>

**First Cerberus-Boots encounter. :) Learned a bit more about Cerberus like...he has a twin brother, has a reputation even around the autobots, and apparently he knew a girl/femme with light blue optics when he was younger. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.**

**Cerberus, Boots, Jasmine, and the story belongs to me. Transformers does not.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Jazz-eeey!" The tiny seven year old sang, stomping through the muddy bank in her boots with excited squeals, "Jazzey girlie!"

Jasmine watched the younger carefully, never taking her eyes away. She watched her stop, spin on a heel, and hop in an out of the water, sending ripples through the lake's surface. Jasmine answered her, "What, girlie?"

"You should come play with me!" Boots called, now jumping in circles, "I bet I can jump higher than you can!"

"I bet you could, too," Jasmine gave a small, half-hearted smile. She ran her hands over her thin arms, feeling how cold her skin was, "I'm fine right here, kiddo. You have fun." She dropped her hands and popped her knuckles, something she only did when she was nervous.

Hell, why wouldn't she be?

Jasmine's eyes narrowed slightly as last night slammed through her mind again, sending a dead cold chill down her spine and putting a brick in the pit of her stomach. She tensed on impulse when she remembered those eyes...

Those massive, blood red, piercing, intelligent, _cold _eyes. The menacing red light they cast on the hard, smooth planes of it's body, whatever it was. There hadn't been enough light to actually _see _what it was. Only a big shape that seemed to ooze terror and evil. Something right out of a nightmare. In fact, that was what Jasmine had thought it was at first. Nothing but a nightmare. Telling herself that had been the only way she'd fallen asleep again.

But in the morning, when they'd uncurled in the parking lot, the massive cracks and holes in the concrete was still there, one spot at the foot of the incline that marked the end of the concrete, and another much larger in front of them where the beast had landed when he jumped over them.

_What the hell was it? _Her eyes shifted down real quick to check Boots' footing when the little girl stumbled. Boots caught herself, though, and was back to jumping around in seconds.

In all honesty, Jasmine was terrified.

She was much older than Boots, she'd been around the block and seen some _ugly _things, as both, an orphan and an human being. Things she had been forced to bury long ago in the darkest, deepest corners of her mind. Things that still haunted her to this day. But nothing compared to the thing she'd seen last night. There was no words that could describe it.

"Be careful, Boots!" Jasmine called when Boots got brave and journeyed another foot or so into the water.

She had wanted to take Boots and lock down somewhere safe for a few days, just in case that monster or whatever it was decided to come back. It was what her instincts told her to do, and not once had those instincts let her down. But she had promised Boots a trip to the lake today, so here they were.

"Come here little froggy!" Boots giggled, squatting down and hopping clumsily out of the water and back onto dry land to chase a little frog. Jasmine cut a quick look at a group of teenage boys not so far down the bank, catching a few of them sending her appreciating looks. Jasmine narrowed her eyes and turned back to Boots.

Boots was still chasing after the frog, completely focused on it. Jasmine found herself smiling despite her dark thoughts, "Careful, girl."

Again, Jasmine glanced at the group of teenagers as another car pulled up, packed with jocks and. They all piled out, pulling out an ice chest or two. When a pair of the teenagers stood up and started walking towards her, Jasmine turned back to Boots, "Alright, Boots. It's time to go back. It's a long walk, so we need to get going."

"Awww..." Boots sulked, "do we have to?"

"We'll come back, I promise." Jasmine stood up, dusting the dirt from the back of her thread-bare shorts. She walked over to the small girl, "Besides, we need to go score some french fries."

Boots' expression shifted into a beaming smile, "I bet I can get more than you!"

Jasmine laughed softly, "Is everything a competition to you?"

"Don't get mad because you stink at these kind of things, Jazz-ey!"

Jasmine rolled her eyes, taking the child's hand. They both straightened and started to walk away. They were well on their way when a beat up old yellow camaro rumbled past.

* * *

><p><em>"Cerberus!" <em>Starscream snapped over the com. link, _"report, now!"_

Cerberus growled deep in his chest, stalking through the trees once again. His fierce red optics were trained on the house, patiently waiting for the autobot to return. He easily ignored the snarled demands and threats the seeker was shouting at him, allowing his processor to wander.

He couldn't stop going back to the face of the human sparkling he'd nearly slaughtered the night before. The way how her organic optics had stared at him, wide and _blue. _She hadn't been afraid, she'd even spoken to him...

_"CERBERUS!"_

His lip plates pulled back as he tilted his head into the wind, searching for the scout's scent.

_"You will answer when I speak, BEAST!"_

Cerberus didn't understand. All his life as a predacon, he'd always been feared by _something. _As a sparkling, it was the regular non-predacon sparklings, wary of him for his claws and his sharp teeth. Oh, he and his brother had a _field day _terrorizing them, creating enemies early in life. As he matured, it was his brother who taught him how to hunt, how to kill and then eat his kill. They were in their second frames then, and already catching Megatron's optic. Once he and his twin had reached adulthood, they were feared by _all. _Their decepticon allies could not look them right in the optic, but it was the autobots that feared them the most. All living creatures, even the small, unintelligent ones, trembled at the sight of the predacon hounds.

_"Blasted pit-spawned PET, I will CRUSH you! ANSWER ME!"_

Cerberus had never met someone who _wasn't _afraid. The few times Megatron had summoned them directly to his throne, the big mech had been cautious, keeping Starscream on one side and another powerful mech on the other. But this organic, this human _child..._

_"Cerberus!"_

_Why wasn't she afraid?_

His spark tensed, his processor spun and worked to create some kind of solution. Logically, it made no sense. She should have been so frightened, she should have been screaming as loud as her little organic lungs could allow. But all she had said was...what was that human term for a greeting?

'Hi'.

That was what she had said, in a whisper that was more out of awe then spark-crushing fear. He figured that the human species was just moronic, that they didn't know danger when they saw it...but then that didn't make sense, either. The older human had known-she _had_ been afraid. Frightened enough to scream and run.

The smaller must have been a malfunctioning sparkling. That was the only decent answer his processor could make out of this whole mess.

_**"CERBERUS!"**_

Cerberus flicked his ears at the utter rage in the seekers voice, turning his attention to the road when he sensed the yellow autobot approaching. He had cloaked his energon signal long ago, so the scout was completely oblivious.

He stood still now, optics watching as the beat up camaro shook and stuttered down the street to pull to a stop in front of the human's dwelling. He watched as the human slid out from the autobot's interior, snarling softly at the mere thought of such an invasion. He would rip out his spark and bow before Optimus Prime before he ever allowed an organic to _sit _on or inside him. Or _any _creature for that matter.

Starscream vented sharply on the other end, dangerously close to his limit. Obviously the little second in command wasn't used to being ignored so easily for so long. He'd probably try to cause some sort of trouble for him later on. Cerberus could care less-he'd grounded many seekers throughout his existence. Slaying one more wouldn't be difficult.

Just as Cerberus was entertaining the idea of switching targets from a camaro to a certain jet, the seeker spat out, "_I WILL summon Osiris for the purpose of correcting your USELESSNESS!"_

Cerberus froze.

His optics narrowed into lit crimson slits, reflecting the sudden rage that filled his spark. He felt a twitch in his spark as his twin reacted to his sudden anger. He didn't say anything, but he seemed to be paying closer attention to Cerberus now, listening.

Cerberus rumbled, finally responding to the soon-to-be wingless seeker, "Osiris has more pressing matters than listening to the demands of one weak, pathetic, _useless _little seeker. Be careful, Starscream, some of us 'pit-spawned _pets_' are not afraid to _bite_."

A moment of blissful quiet filled his side of the com link before, _"It's about time you answered, Cerberus."_

"I have the scout in sight," Cerberus said, "the human with the coordinates is with him."

_"Excellent. Strike quickly, Cerberus. The rest of the autobots are in orbit and will be landing soon."_

Cerberus tilted his head slightly to survey the neighborhood, more out of boredom than anything. "I will 'strike' when I please."

_"Fragging twisted beast...I'm not asking you, I'm TELLING you."_

"And I'm telling _you," _Cerberus snarled back, "I am not just one of your poor _subjects _to command as you wish. I am Cerberus, and I have no master. Remember that next time you threaten to 'crush' me."

Again, the seeker was silent.

"The scout won't survive long enough to see the sun rise tomorrow," Cerberus promised, "he dies tonight."

_"Very good, Cerberus."_

The link was cut shortly after his final message. Cerberus shook lightly. Something shifted against his spark once more, the chilling voice of his twin reaching through in a whisper, _**'Well done, my brother.'**_

Cerberus sent nothing back in return, no emotions and no thoughts. He forced his processor to turn away from the curious case of the human child with the blue optics, and set his gaze firmly on the yellow scout below.

* * *

><p><strong>I love how Cerberus pretty much just ignored Starscream throughout the entire time he was trying to talk to him. <strong>

**Hope you guys enjoyed.**

**Cerberus, Boots, Jasmine, Osiris, and the story belongs to me. TRansformers does not.**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Bumblebee raced around the curves, hidden optics pointed up in some false hope that he could see the rest of the autobots arcing down across the inky blackness of the night sky, lit like falling stars. The sky was dark tonight, though, leaving only the moon to light his way.

They were closer though, which took a little bit of tension out of his frame. It'd only be a day, maybe less, before they'd be landing. Optimus had contacted him today while his charge was in the human structure called 'school'. He was to find a clear location for a landing site, and send the coordinates to them. He was happy to do so, but he couldn't help the pit of dread in his spark that was growing deeper with every second.

His processor kept turning back to the memory of the black beast standing in the trees, massive red optics staring back at him. The glint of energon-stained fangs, the shift of a tail made of razor-sharp plates. The predacon had moved in complete silence, a feral grin on his face that had the scout's energon running cold.

What if he was still stalking through the trees around Sam's dwelling? What if he had already killed the human boy and his family and taken the coordinates to the allspark? What if he wasn't even near them, but following Bumblebee instead?

He had already taken on and beaten Barricade alone, but he had never fought a predacon before. Especially not the fragging _beast_, Cerberus, _or _his brother. When what few femmes left wanted their sparklings to sit still and behave, they told them horror stories of the predacon hounds. He remembered hearing them himself, years ago before he was old enough to become a soldier.

He forced himself to stop thinking about the predacons. Instead, he focused on the task at hand. He found himself rolling through the streets of the city. He kept his senses open, forever on the look out for decepticons. His search carried him to the outskirts, into a mess of roads that rose above and under ground in bridges and tunnels. He went under, mapping a route that would take him to a stretch of abandoned warehouses he remembered seeing days ago on one of the boy's errands.

The bridge overhead blocked out the moonlight, leaving him in darkness. He flashed on his head lights on impulse, thoughts once again turning to Cerberus. He shuddered at the thought of the predacon's claws tearing into armor, the sound of his massive jaws snapping shut. He rose up out of the tunnel, spark immediately easing when he was able to see again. He thoroughly scanned the area, but there was no decepticons in range.

_Easy, _He thought, _if he was here, you would have sensed it._

And then he remembered that he _hadn't _sensed Cerberus when he made his first appearance.

Bumblebee put it into overdrive, tripling his pace. The instincts he'd developed as a scout told him that he needed to get out of the open, and fast.

Shortly after he found himself pulling into a shady parking lot somewhere in the depths of the mess of buildings that were tall by human standards, made of boring gray stone and with shattered windows set high in the walls. The stench of abandonment hung heavy in the air, one he was all to familiar with.

After running another scan to make sure that there was _still _no decepticons in range, he transformed and stood up. He cast his bright blue optics over the buildings around him, suddenly struck by how much it resembled the once thriving cities of Cybertron. He had never known Cybertron in it's 'golden age', having been created when the great war was well under way, but he remembered the empty structures and hauntingly quiet streets.

Bumblebee lifted a finger to press to the side of his helm, mentally willing the proper routines to activate. The first light of his makeshift beacon raised to the sky, piercing through the heavy clouds. He watched as it continued to rise, casting sharp highlights across his armor and looming shadows across the earth.

A soft gasp shattered his concentration, and just like that the beam failed, plunging the world around him back into darkness. His optics snapped down, automatically pinpointing the location of the sound. His gaze widened when the fixed on a tiny little human, much younger and smaller than his charge. The creature stared back with equally wide organic optics, jaws open in awe.

Bumblebee was frozen, realizing that he had just made his biggest mistake since he joined the autobot ranks. He had been so caught up with the thought of being hunted by an enemy, that he had completely forgotten to be on the lookout for humans.

His cover was blown.

The creature tilted it's head, letting it's jaw shut as it slowly crawled out further from inside a hole in the wall of a warehouse. It whispered, "Hey."

His optics grew rounder, processor freezing. It had actually _spoke_ to him, albeit, not in his own language be it had done so all the same.

"You're not like the other angel I saw," It continued, "you're a lot taller."

When he didn't answer, it stood up, staggering tiredly in the bright yellow coverings on her feet. She raised a hand to rub at her optics, "And your eyes are different. Can you ta-"

She gasped again and Bumblebee moved, twisting sharply when his sensors suddenly blared to life in his processor. His blue optics widened as he saw the huge beast rushing towards him soundlessly, slicing through the distance between the two with complete ease.

The scout had enough time to register the huge red optics and the glint of bared fangs before the predacon collided with him.

* * *

><p>Cerberus had easily kept up with the scout on his desperate drive. He stayed abreast of him through the tall dark trees, then he fell back when Bumblebee had crossed through the city and taken to open streets.<p>

There had been plenty of chances that the predacon could have pounced and ended his life with a single bite or well placed swipe of his claws, but for some reason Cerberus wasn't craving a quick kill. It might have been the burn of hunger in the pit of his frame, or it may have been his growing hate towards the blasted seeker that had taken control of the decepticon's in Megatron's absence, but he wanted this scout to _suffer._

_ Starscream. _The very designation had his face plates twisted in disgust. How dare he threaten to call down Osiris? Cerberus knew his brother better than any living creature in the universe, and there was no way in pit that the other hound would bend to the seeker's will. He was more opposed to being controlled than Cerberus, and would probably offline the seeker himself if disturbed. _A fool. He is nothing more than an weak fool._

And he would be taken care of, Cerberus concluded, if not by Megatron then by the very twin predacons he was trying so hard to control. The idea of tearing the mech's wings from his back had Cerberus smiling. Aerials tended to have the finest tasting energon, autobot and decepticon alike. It was rich but light, and he rather enjoyed the way it slid down his throat and rolled down his jaw so smoothly.

_Someday..._He thought, imagining the look on Starscream's face when his 'pet' turned against him and crushed him. He could feel his brother rise from recharge through their bond, roused by their shared hunger. Images of Cerberus' day dreaming reached Osiris, and his brother almost purred through the bond, _**'Soon, brother.'**_

Cerberus shook his head, clearing away all thought as the scout took an abrupt turn. He glided over the tunnels, breaking away from the roads to plunge back into the cover of more trees. He kept his head tilted ever so slightly in the scout's direction. Listening. Scenting. Watching. His predacon instincts were at their peak, and he followed them without thought.

The autobot pulled to a stop in the center of a nest of abandoned structures and dwellings. Cerberus chuckled softly, the sound a dark rasp in his throat as he slowed his lope down into a predatory stalk. _Poor choice, scout. There's no room for you to move here._

He crept silently through the maze of buildings, attention never leaving the young mech as he waited for a few more minutes before transforming. Cerberus could sense that the mech was casting out scans, trying to detect any decepticons. Unfortunately for him, Cerberus was a predacon that couldn't be located until he was ready to be found.

The scout glanced around with wide, bright blue optics, before turning his face skyward and lifting a hand to his helm. He let out a soft round of chatter before a powerful beam of light erupted from his frame, breaking through the heavy black clouds to stretch out towards the stars. Cerberus took a slow step forward, rolling his powerful shoulders. He waited, watching, knowing exactly what the scout was doing.

It occurred to him that Starscream probably wanted the scout offline _before _he could call in reinforcements, but Cerberus crushed the thought as soon as it crossed his processor. More autobots meant more prey, and a longer hunt. A predacon never let the chance of fresh energon pass, so he stalled his hunt, standing stone-still in the shadows. He let his mouth plates creep up, baring every lethal black dental, still spotted with the energon of his most recent meal.

The scout swept the beacon in a wide circle, missing the predacon, and came to a stop once he was facing away again. Abruptly, he froze, going rigid. The beacon flickered then died. Predacon could taste his prey's shock and slight fear in the air, making his hunger worse. He didn't know what had stunned the scout into complete stillness and he didn't care, he would simply kill it as well. So Cerberus pulled back before lunging forward. When he was practically on top of the mech, he let his cloaking routines drop, exposing his energon signature. The Scout swung around on impulse, optics comically wide and locked on the predacon's form.

Cerberus rolled his body down and shoved off the earth, tearing the asphalt with his claws like paper from the force of it, and slammed into the scout. His jaws spread wide, closing around the scout's arm, easily puncturing the thick armor there and piercing cables and crucial energon lines. The momentum of his attack and the weight of his own body sent the scout flying backwards, crashing through one of the walls and into the ground with a boom that shook the earth.

An agonized and fearful whine left the vocal processor of his prey, and the scout tried to move, attempting to jerk away. But Cerberus landed on his feet, mouth still clamped like a vice around the scout's leaking limb, and he merely jerked his head back as hard as he could. The scout's arm resisted for only a second before popping out of joint and nearly tearing away from his body. Again, the autobot cried out, but before he could react, Cerberus dropped the limb and swept his head down to bite into the scout's throat.

The autobot was panicking now, bucking hard beneath Cerberus' weight. Cerberus snarled, sinking his fangs deep into the scout's throat and tearing through cables and wires until the predacon was down to the protoform joints that kept his head attached to his body. The scout's good hand closed around one half of his face, fingers clenching around his cheek plates in an attempt to push him off.

Cerberus shook his prey, relishing the taste of the fresh energon now flooding into his mouth. It was then that the scout got smart, transforming the hand wrapped around the predacon's face into a cannon. The barrel heated, glowing blue with energy. Cerberus dropped him just before he severed his head, and pulled back. Still, the blast grazed his cheek, sending a sharp shock of pain through his protoform. He pulled back to strike again, giving the autobot enough time to stagger to his feet, the glow of life-giving energon coating his yellow armor.

Cerberus circled, body slung low to the ground, red optics never leaving the autobot's blue ones.

The scout was impressive. For having already sustained such crippling wounds, he managed to stay alert, following the decepticon even though he was bleeding out rapidly. He was focused, every inch of his being trained on Cerberus. It had been a while since Cerberus had seen such a bot, but it didn't matter. He had already made his grand entrance, and the scout was suffering heavily for it. It would only be a matter of time before the mech simply offlined from energon loss.

And Cerberus, being a predator, was a master at waiting.

The heated cannon followed him, aimed at his armored body. Cerberus chuckled darkly, "You know you've lost, _autobot._"

The mech's optics widened with fear for only a moment before seeming to fill with new determination. Cerberus stopped, turning his body to completely face the scout. His prey followed his example. The predacon rolled his shoulders again, taking a slow step forward as he prepared to make his second attack. An intense quiet fell between them, the only sound being the scouts strained intakes and the hum of his raised weapon.

Then something moved, the sound of scattering stones shattering the silence like a hammer to glass. Cerberus, reacting to his predatory instincts, swung his head around sharply, fierce red optics fixating on a tiny creature among the rubble of the fallen wall. His sights zoomed in, pushing the scout to the back of his mind for the moment when he spotted a patch of bright yellow. His spark nearly seized in his chest when a pair of wide, soft blue organic optics opened and stared back at him.

And suddenly, the predacon, infamous hound of Cybertron, was frozen.

It was _her, _the tiny human sparkling that had been plaguing his thoughts since he'd nearly slain her only a few days ago. His first reaction was an unexpected gripping fear-What in the _pit _was she doing here?

He almost turned completely to her when the boom of energy leaving a cannon filled the air and a searing agony exploded through his side. Cerberus staggered to the side with a growl, red optics squinting and head whipping around to bare glowing fangs at the scout, who's battle mask had flipped down. The barrel was still smoking from the last blast, but was already lighting with another. Cerberus had to finish this, _now. _He leaped forward, leaving the human sparkling to attack the scout.

His claws sank deep into the mech's armor, tearing wide holes through it, and his fangs managed to graze the thick plates of armor over his chest before the mouth of the cannon collided with his shoulder in a punch, knocking him to the side. Cerberus recovered quickly, landing on his feet and pivoting to try again, this time biting down on the mech's ruined arm and puncturing the mech's protoform frame.

He let go and swung away when another blast threatened to blow apart his chest plates, letting the blade-like plates of his tail separate. He turned his entire form tightly around the autobot's legs, his tail cutting through the armor as if it were cheap tin. The autobot staggered, nearly toppling over. Cerberus was spreading his jaws to end the mech's life when a tiny voice screamed, "_STOP!_"

And that was exactly what he did. His entire frame froze, open jaws bouncing uselessly off the mech's shoulder. The command echoed through his processor, bouncing off the walls of his mind as if they were the only words he'd ever heard in his life. The scout took his chance, arcing his weapon up, placing the cannon against Cerberus' barrel-like chest. He felt the heat of the blast before it slammed into him, splintering his thick armor and sending him soaring into the air.

Cerberus hit the ground like a felled mountain, crushing the wall beneath him into fine dust and causing the earth to quake. His pain receptors were on fire, optics flickering as alarms blared through his processor. He stayed where he was, even when the shadow of the limping, bleeding, rasping autobot fell over him. The round mouth of the cannon once again hovered over him, but he could no longer feel it's heat or the rough texture of the ground beneath him. He was fading, rapidly, and there was nothing he could do to stop the scout from ending his existence right here.

He snarled at his own weakness, although the sound came out weak and garbled. Nothing like the sound that would strike fear into the sparks of full grown, battle-hardened mechs. His face plates twitched. He tried to move, but his body was in shock. Nothing was reacting to him correctly.

The autobot seemed to consider him for a moment, stopping altogether when the tiny figure of the human sparkling stumbled across the wreckage to plant herself firmly in his path, directly in front of Cerberus' spark, which had remarkably remained covered. _What in the pit is she doing?_

He struggled harder, managing to shift a rear leg and flap his tail. The fear that had taken over him before came back, foreign thoughts racing through his processor. What was the scout doing? Was he considering just blasting through her? Why wasn't she moving? He couldn't possibly kill her, could he? It was against everything the fragging autobots were about!

Then another thought, one that was actually his own, snarled, _Why do you care?_

But, much to his unwanted relief, the autobot backed down and put away his weapon. He raised a hand to clench at his throat in a useless attempt to stop the energon flow, and staggered away without another word. The girl waited until the scout was gone before turning to Cerberus and carefully raising a hand to touch smoking armor. She snapped her hand back when she burned her skin on it, making a face but refusing to cry.

Cerberus fought for alertness as his body began to shut down, forcing it's way into stasis. But all he could think about was her, and whether she'd still be there once he onlined once again.

* * *

><p><strong>YESSSSS! I finally got it up! <strong>

**I'm really sorry for such a long wait, guys! I've been really depressed lately between my crippled dog and having this monster in my chest, I just kinda lost the will to write or even mess with the updates I already had done waiting on my computer for editing. Then I got this awesome review from someone on my very first story, The Guardian, and it just totally made my day. So I went back in, rewrote this chapter, and put it up. And what's funny is, that I think I've found my groove with this one, so hopefully I'll be cranking out chapters a lot faster from now on. **

**Anyway-I really hated doing that to Bee, because I love the little bugger so much, but he'll deffinitely survive. Sam and Mikaela depend on it. :) **

**We'll find out why Boots was snooping around there later. **

**And I am really enjoying writing Cerberus...**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed! Sorry for the long wait! Much love to you!**

**Boots, Cerberus, Osiris, and the story belongs to me. Transformers does not.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Boots frowned, "Angel?"

Her wide blue eyes scaled over the massive creature's body, taking in all the angled, shiny dark plates of metal and his big feet and long, black claws. She cradled her burned hand to her chest, watching the slowly rising puffs of smoke that still curled off the singed plates of his chest. She glanced behind her to make sure that the mean yellow guy had left, before chancing a step closer.

"Angel," She tried again, her voice a whisper just in case he was sleeping. He looked like he was, and he needed it. Especially since he'd been jumping and running around so much for the past few minutes. He'd even made her sleepy with all that moving. She wanted to make sure he was okay, because that yellow angel, if he was one, had hit him pretty hard. She reached out her good hand to touch.

Before she could, his giant body seemed to give a little shake, all the metal pieces that made up his form clinking together. She yelped and jumped back when a thick cloud of steam pushed out of his open jaws. Gears started to turn. Boots took another step back, folding her hands behind her as those big red eyes opened again. She stared in awe as he shifted, seeming to move every part of him all at once.

"Hey, mister angel," She greeted once he lifted his head. In a quick movement she couldn't even see, he swung his head in her direction and fixed blood red eyes on her. She smiled shyly, "are you okay?"

He watched her, without blinking like he was trying to have a staring contest. Boots kept smiling, because smiling usually made other people happy. Maybe he would smile back. "I made sure he went away," She continued, wondering if he could even talk, "why were you fighting? Angels aren't supposed to hurt each other."

One of his metal ears twitched. She giggled, noticing them for the first time, "and I didn't think angels were supposed to look like doggies, either."

He stood then, pulling himself up. Her eyes got wider as his shadow fell over her. He was so _tall, _and she felt like an ant standing beside him. He started to walk away, limping slightly because one of his shoulders had been damaged in the last blast. Boots stared up at him as he stepped over her, his body blocking out the moon as he passed over her.

"You're really big!" She exclaimed, turning to follow him as he started to leave, "hey, wait!"

* * *

><p>"Hey, wait!"<p>

_Keep walking, _Cerberus snarled at himself. His spark twisted in his chest when he placed all four paws on the ground and _stopped. _His lip plates twitched, and he willed his body to move, but he couldn't. Not forward, anyway.

The thump of her odd yellow coverings echoed across the ground. He tilted his head just enough to watch her out of the corner of his optic as she stumbled through the wreckage to come stand in front of him again. Her soft blue organic optics were wide, but not with fear. He found himself leaning closer, lowering his head so he could see her better. The moonlight hit his face just right, casting sharp, menacing high lights across his teeth and mouth. But still, the human would not back away. She stood her ground almost shyly, tiny hands folded behind her back. She tilted her head at him.

He stared at her, waiting for the malfunctioning sparkling to scream and run. Surely she should know by now, especially after seeing his battle with the autobot scout, that he was dangerous. A threat. Sure she knew that he could crush her with one snap of his jaws.

But her optics were wide with awe, not fear.

"Are you here to save me?" She whispered, braving a step closer.

His optics narrowed slightly, but he said nothing. He watched her as she edged closer, reaching out one of her hands to touch the sleek armor of his claws. She dropped her eyes from his face to his armor, placing her fingers against it. Cerberus shot away, finally moving his feet. He swung away so fast that she fell over with a soft yelp.

Cerberus growled low in his throat when pain shot through his body, reminding him of his defeat. How could he have failed? Cerberus never lost his prey. How could he let his focus slip? He was the slagging _predacon hound._ Nothing escaped him.

A short ways away, the tiny sparkling pushed herself up to her feet, "I'm sorry! Please don't be afraid!"

Cerberus' optics widened slightly. He whipped his head around to glare at the human. He snarled out, "I fear no one."

Finally, the stupid little creature took a step back. Her optics were even wider than before, and when she spoke, it was a bewildered whisper, "You can talk?"

Cerberus rumbled, facing her completely now as if to prove his point, "Cerberus fears _no one._"

She moved forward again, a smile pulling at her face, "Is that your name? Cer-Cer-ber...Cer-ber...rus..." She huffed, frustrated by her own mistakes, "I'm Boots!"

He let his lip plates curl up slightly, baring more of his teeth. _Why won't she run?_ He wondered when she started towards him again. She stopped right in front of his claws again, and he was forced to point his nose down to look at her. She gazed up at him, still smiling, "Wow, you're really pretty."

He narrowed his optics. She reached out to him again, although much more slowly than before. Her soft human skin touched his thick armor, the heat of her weak flesh seeming to burn his armor. She stared down at her hand, fingers splayed across his armor. He didn't move away this time. Her smile grew, and she looked back up at him, "Where did you come from?"

_Why is she still here? _Cerberus only stared, lip plates twitching in annoyance. _Why isn't she afraid? _The only living creature that had ever touched him out of kindness was his twin brother, and that had ages ago and across the darkness of space when they were both sparklings trying to keep warm. All his life, he had been feared by everything. Why was she different?"

"I don't know where I come from," The human was talking, glancing away from him to gaze back at her hand on his armor, "I don't even know who my mom or dad is. Jazzeys always been there, though. She takes care of me-"

Cerberus interrupted her, "You should be running." He arranged his face plates into a cruel snarl that usually sent full grown mechs scrambling in their haste to get away. "I am not just some _pet._"

She blinked at him. The smile came back full force, "I know that, silly! You're too big to be a pet!" His snarl faltered, loosening slightly. She giggled, "and pets don't talk, either! Only birds do that, and you're not a bird!"

_That sound...she's..._His expression changed completely. _What is that? _He found himself sitting down, much to his annoyance. Before he could stop it, the question slipped out, "What are you doing?" _What am __**I**__ doing? _

She blinked, "Talking. What are _you _doing?"

_I don't know. _Cerberus growled angrily, getting to his feet. He needed to find a safe place and tend to his wounds _now. _The scout was still his target, and hunger burned and turned in his tanks. He would have to feed soon, or he'd become weak.

So he walked past the human, ignoring her apologies and cries. He snarled when the sound of her feet stumbling over the ground followed him, all the way out of the warehouses and deep into the trees.

* * *

><p><strong>First real interaction between them. I think he's found himself a little tag along, whether he likes it or not. <strong>

**Wonder where Jasmine is...**

**Cerberus, Jasmine, Boots, Osiris, and the story belongs to me. Transformers does not.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Cerberus stopped, scenting the air and listening for any potential threats in the area. He stopped so suddenly that the tiny human sparkling, who he _still_ hadn't lost, bumped into his heel. She fell back on her rear with a soft yelp, rubbing her forehead.

When he was positive there was no autobots or decepticons, he began to transform. As he did so, he stepped away from the human sparkling so he didn't injure her. He convinced himself that he could care less if she was hurt, he just didn't want to have to scrape her blood off his armor after. He stood up on two legs slowly as his armor circled around his frame. His shoulders pulled back and his wolf-like helm split into pieces and rearranged around his neck and chest. His tail separated from his body to become a broad sword holstered on his back.

The change pulled at his injuries, but he couldn't tend to them in his alternate. Cerberus straightened, lip plates curling into a snarl as he was once again reminded of his failure. How long had it been since he was bested by an autobot? How long had he spent days carefully stalking his prey, only to lose them? _I had him. He was mine._

He clenched a clawed hand into a fist, fierce red optics turned up to the sky. If he was here, Osiris would be laughing at him. His optics turned down to the ground when the human gasped. As soon as his optics met her, just jumped to her feet and opened her mouth, "_Wow!_ How did you do that? What else can you turn into? You're so tall! Can you still talk? How do you do that? Can the mean yellow angel change, too? This is so cool!"

Cerberus blinked, processor going blank. She ran back up to him, stopping at his foot to stare down at it with wide organic optics. Cerberus crouched, claws glinting. He snarled, "You're still not afraid."

"Of course not!" She snorted like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Why would I be afraid of you?"

"Because I _kill _things," He hissed, asking himself for the hundredth time just _why _he was giving this pitiful creature the time of day. She was nothing. Her weak little frame would snap between his teeth with ease. He could crush her, eat her, and she would be utterly powerless to stop him. Besides, _she _was the reason why the scout had escaped. If _she _hadn't appeared in the middle of the battle, he would have been feasting on the autobot's energon and alloys now. He wouldn't be hiding in shadow, nursing his wounds.

Cerberus bared his serrated dentals, placing a clawed hand behind the human to keep from from running. He leaned in close, the crimson light of his optics making the soft curves of her face glow, "I am not some guardian creature sent to save your kind, _human. _I was sent to help _end _it."

She stared, eyes growing round. She brought her hands up to her chest, clenching them. She took a step back. _Ah...there it is..._Cerberus chuckled darkly. "I should eat you instead," He mused, "you're the reason why the scout escaped."

Her expression changed in an instant. And, shocking him into silence, she lifted her foot and _stomped. _She snapped, "Why do you have to be so mean? You're just a big bully! That yellow guy was going to hurt you really bad, and I made him go away! Why are you trying to scare me? I helped you, Cer-c-cer-ber-" She huffed, giving up on trying to pronounce his designation, "whatever you are!"

Again, all thought left him. All he could do was stare as she threw her hands up in the air, "I should have stayed with Jazzey, at least _she _wouldn't act all creepy and rude!" She turned to storm off but stopped when she saw his hand in the way. What she did next nearly made his spark stop in his chest.

She _kicked _him. The odd yellow covering on her foot bounced off the armor of his hand. He barely felt it, but she did. She yelped in pain, hopping away on one foot as she gripped her other, little tears rising up in her organic optics. Cerberus shifted closer, the snarl leaving his face. When she started to fall over, he raised his hand to support her. He didn't realize what he was doing until the human leaned against his palm, rubbing her injured limb.

_She hit me. _He clenched his dentals, processor finally registering what was happening. _She attacked me without fear. She didn't even try to run. _

"Why can't you just be nice?" She asked, glaring up at him.

He snorted, letting her go when she was able to stand on her own again. He forced himself to turn from her, walking away a few steps to sit down with his back to her. He went back to his injuries, dragging his claws carefully over the seared armor of his chest and side. The damage was mild, not so heavy it required a medic, but not so light that he could leave it unattended. He started to work, pulling off a plate of armor to get at the sparking wires beneath.

As much as he willed her to just disappear, the fragging human hung around. He shuttered his optics when he heard her feet thump across the dirt. She walked around to see what he was doing. She asked, "What are you doing?"

"Repairs." He forced out through clenched dentals, making his annoyance very clear. She completely missed it.

"Why are you taking your clothes off?"

He stopped, slowly lowering his optics to her. He was lost between chasing her away, smashing her into a puddle of blood, and wondering just why the pit he was still talking to her, never mind tolerating her presence. He wanted nothing more than to leave her here in the woods, but he couldn't stop the words from slipping out, "It's called armor."

Her eyes grew wide, far from the angry glare she'd give him just minutes ago, "So...you're a knight? A knight in armor? _Shining _armor?"

_Primus. _He vented sharply, narrowing his optics and turning them back to his wounds. She moved forward, reaching out to wrap her hands almost carefully around one of his toe-claws, "Well, you're not an angel, because angels aren't mean. So that must mean you're a knight, right? Because you have armor, and a..." She glanced up at his shoulder to see the hilt of his sword, "...sword. Maybe you're a black knight. Those are kinda mean."

"I'm a predacon," He answered, feeling the ache leave him as he repaired the damage the scout had caused.

"What's that?"

"A killer," He answered, "a hunter."

"Boy you really like killing things, don't you? Didn't your mommy ever tell you that it wasn't nice to hurt people?"

He growled, optics brightening as unwanted memories filled his processor at her words. He didn't have many memories of his femme creator. All he knew was that she was ashamed of them both. The bond they had was always strained, so he barely felt it when Osiris slaughtered her the moment they were transferred into their third frames.

"Hey, can I just call you Bear?"

He snapped out of his thoughts, glaring at her harshly.

She was ignoring him, busy studying the scars on his toes, "Cer-cer-c...your name is really hard to say." She smiled, "so I'm just going to call you Bear!"

"I'll kill you slowly." He swore. She finally looked up to match his glare.

She let her hands drop from his foot, much to his relief, and let herself fall to her rear, mirroring his pose. She crossed her arms over her chest, "You're so mean, Bear."

His face plates twitched. He lowered a clawed hand to wrap around her form and hopefully squish the little nuisance. She tensed, but never broke optic contact. When his claws curled around her form, they tightened, but just a little. Rather than crush her, he lifted her into the air, cursing his inability to just end her, and placed her high in the branches of a tree so he didn't have to look at her every time he glanced down.

She yelped in surprise, then demanded, "Bear! Put me down!"

He easily ignored her, lifting up the plates of his armor to place them back on his frame. She squealed and squirmed, holding on to the tree tightly. Once he was finished, he rose again, shifting shapes back into his predacon form. He walked away, forcing himself not to look back as he left her behind.

* * *

><p><strong>:3<strong>

**I, uh, kinda...hit a bump with 'The Storyteller', so I'm going to try to catch up on this one for a few days. **

**More interaction...she actually gave him a nickname. **

**Cerberus, his brother, Boots, and the story belongs to me. Transformers does not.**


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